In 2013 across the whole of England and Wales there were an estimated 872,849 conceptions to women of all ages, compared with 884,748 in 2012, a decrease of 1.3 per cent. In London there were 170,900 conceptions in 2013, compared to 173,724 in 2012, a drop of 1.6 per cent.

Between 2010 and 2013 the overall conception figure for the capital is down from 178,706, a decrease of 4.6%.

As in previous years the pregnancy figures are higher in outer London (90.8 conception rate per 1,000 women) compared to inner London (78.1). The overall average level of conceptions per thousand women in the capital is 85.2.

Highs and lows

The borough with the highest conception rate in 2013 in London is Barking and Dagenham (111.8), while the lowest figure recorded was in Camden (61.1).

Conceptions for those Londoners under the age of 16 has dropped to 5.7 per 1,000 women, down from 6.4 in 2010. The shift has continued toward London women becoming pregnant at older ages with an anuual increase of 1.4 per cent of conceptions in the over-40s.